Hundreds of thousands of ‘fake comments’ in attack on net neutrality, Attorney General claims

Hundreds of thousands of ‘fake comments’ have been sent to America’s FCC in an apparent effort to influence an attempt to repeal net neutrality rules, the New York Attorney General has claimed.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in an open letter that hundreds of thousands of faked comments have been submitted.

In America, the Federal Communications Commission is preparing to repeal net neutrality rules – and solicited comments from the public.

‘Net neutrality’ refers to the principle that internet service providers should offer consumers equal access to all sites and services – rather than (for instance) slowing down one video service, and speeding another up.

Many activists claim that if it’s abandoned, it could change the internet as we know it – and pave the way for ISPs to charge for content, or censor sites they don’t like.

Schneiderman claimed in his open letter than an enormous number of fake comments have been submitted.

He said, ‘In May 2017, researchers and reporters discovered that the FCC’s public comment process was being corrupted by the submission of enormous numbers of fake comments concerning the possible repeal of net neutrality rules.

‘In doing so, the perpetrator or perpetrators attacked what is supposed to be an open public process by attempting to drown out and negate the views of the real people, businesses, and others who honestly commented on this important issue.